Building Sealing Systems and Methods of Installing the Same

ABSTRACT

Methods of assembling wall structure include coupling first and second sealing members to a wall structural member along a first side and second side, respectively, of the wall structural member. The first sealing member and the second sealing member each include a compliant seal having a thickness and an adhesive along at least one side. The methods also include coupling a first wall sheathing element to the first side of the wall structural member so that the first sealing member contacts the first wall sheathing element and coupling a second wall sheathing element to the second side of the wall structural member so that the second sealing member contacts the second wall sheathing element. The first sealing member and the second sealing member form a restrictive fluid path between the first wall sheathing element, the wall structural member, and the second wall sheathing element.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/674,600 filed Jul. 23, 2012 titled “Wall Sealing Systems.”

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to sealing members for walls and, in particular, sealing members that seal stud bays of interior and/or exterior walls and ceilings.

BACKGROUND

To improve occupant comfort, buildings are outfitted with heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Many HVAC systems include, among other elements, conditioning equipment that heats or cools air, components for forcing the conditioned air into a room located remotely from the conditioning equipment with duct work, and cold air returns for returning air from the room to the conditioning equipment. This arrangement provides circulation of air in a building, thereby assisting with occupant comfort.

HVAC systems include cold air returns that return air from remotely located rooms to the conditioning equipment. To increase the efficiency of the HVAC systems, the cold air returns may be sealed, such that the HVAC system better controls circulation of air within a building.

Additionally, buildings may be subject to leaks or thermal inefficiencies at locations where structural elements abut one another or abut sheathing.

Accordingly, alternative building sealing systems and methods of installing the same may be desired.

SUMMARY

According to one embodiment, a method of assembling a wall structure includes coupling a first sealing member to a wall structural member along a first side of the wall structural member and coupling a second sealing member to the wall structural member along a second side of the wall structural member opposite the first side. The first sealing member and the second sealing member each include a compliant seal having a thickness and an adhesive along at least one side. The method also includes coupling a first wall sheathing element to the first side of the wall structural member so that the first sealing member contacts the first wall sheathing element and coupling a second wall sheathing element to the second side of the wall structural member so that the second sealing member contacts the second wall sheathing element. The first sealing member and the second sealing member form a restrictive fluid path between the first wall sheathing element, the wall structural member, and the second wall sheathing element.

According to another embodiment, a method of assembling a building structure includes coupling a sealing member to a first structural member, where the sealing member includes a compliant seal having a seal thickness, a seal width, and a seal length that is greater than the seal thickness and the seal width, and an adhesive along at least one side. The method also includes coupling a second structural member to the first structural member, where the second structural member includes a structural member thickness, a structural member width, and a structural member length that is greater than the structural member thickness. The sealing member is positioned with the seal length generally aligned with the structural member length. The sealing member forms a restrictive fluid path between the first structural member and the second structural member.

According to yet another embodiment, a building structure includes a structural member having a structural member thickness, a structural member width, and a structural member length that is greater than the structural member thickness and the structural member width. The building structure also includes a sealing member coupled to the structural member, where the sealing member includes a compliant seal having a seal width, a seal thickness, and a seal length, where the seal length greater than the seal width and the seal thickness, and an adhesive applied to one side of the compliant seal. The compliant seal is free from adhesive along a side opposite the side to which adhesive is applied. The building structure further includes a first wall sheathing element coupled to the structural member. The sealing member is positioned with the seal length generally aligned with the structural member length. The sealing member forms a restrictive fluid path between the structural member and the first wall sheathing element.

Additional features and advantages of the embodiments described herein will be set forth in the detailed description which follows, and in part will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from that description or recognized by practicing the embodiments described herein, including the detailed description that follows, the claims, as well as the appended drawings.

It should be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description describe various embodiments and are intended to provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature and character of the claimed subject matter. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the various embodiments, and are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate the various embodiments described herein, and together with the description serve to explain the principles and operations of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments set forth in the drawings are illustrative and exemplary in nature and not intended to limit the subject matter defined by the claims. The following detailed description of the illustrative embodiments can be understood when read in conjunction with the following drawings, where like structure is indicated with like reference numerals and in which:

FIG. 1 schematically depicts a partial cut-away side perspective of an interior wall including a sealing system according to one or more embodiments shown or described herein;

FIG. 2 schematically depicts a side perspective view of a sealing member according to one or more embodiments shown or described herein;

FIG. 3 schematically depicts a sectional view of a wall shown including a sealing system along line A-A of FIG. 1 according to one or more embodiments shown or described herein;

FIG. 4 schematically depicts a sectional view of a wall shown including a sealing system along line A-A of FIG. 1 according to one or more embodiments shown or described herein;

FIG. 5 schematically depicts a sectional view of a sealing member used in a sealing system according to one or more embodiments shown or described herein;

FIG. 6 schematically depicts a side perspective view of a stud assembly of a portion of a wall and a sealing system according to one or more embodiments shown or described herein;

FIG. 7 schematically depicts a side perspective view of adjacent sealing members according to one or more embodiments shown or described herein;

FIG. 8 schematically depicts a side perspective view of a building including a sealing member positioned between a wall and a ceiling joist according to one or more embodiments shown or describe herein; and

FIG. 9 schematically depicts a side sectional view of the building shown along line B-B of FIG. 8 according to one or more embodiments shown or described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of wall sealing systems and sealing members for such sealing systems. Whenever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. FIG. 1 generally depicts a stud-construction wall having sealing members applied to at least two studs. The sealing members form a seal between the studs and the sheathing that is secured to the studs to enclose the wall. The sealing members form a sealed stud-stud bay that is generally air-tight. A vent passes through the sheathing of the wall to place the sealed enclosure in fluid communication with the room adjacent to the stud-stud bay. An HVAC system may draw air through the vent, into the sealed stud-stud bay, and returned to the HVAC system for conditioning and redistribution to the building. The sealing members are part of an wall sealing system that may improve operational efficiency of the HVAC system and improve comfort of occupants of the building. The wall sealing systems having sealing members will be described in further detail herein with specific reference to the appended drawings.

As used herein, the phrase “conditioned air” refers to air has been conditioned by HVAC equipment to modify the temperature and/or humidity of the air, and is the directed through ducting to rooms that are remotely located from the HVAC equipment. As used herein, the phrase “unconditioned air” refers to air that is drawn from a room that is remotely located from HVAC equipment and is drawn towards the HVAC equipment for conditioning. It should be understood that air may recirculate throughout a building over time, such that air may be “conditioned” or “unconditioned” at various times.

Referring now to FIG. 1, one embodiment of a wall construction is depicted. The wall structure 100 is built according to a stud-construction, wherein a plurality of wall structural members 130, here studs, are vertically arranged and regularly spaced apart from one another. First wall sheathing element 110 and second wall sheathing element 140 are secured to the plurality of wall structural members 130 to enclose the wall structure 100. As used herein, “wall sheathing element” refers to materials that define the surfaces of a wall and may include, for example and without limitation, drywall, cement board, plaster and lath, plywood, particle board, fiber board, and the like. The wall sheathing element may define an interior or an exterior wall of the building structure. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1, at least two of the wall structural members 130, here adjacent wall structural members 130, are at least partially covered with a sealing member 120. The sealing members 120 are depicted as being positioned along the narrow face of the wall structural members 130, between the wall structural members 130 and the first wall sheathing element 110. The wall structural members 130 similarly include sealing members 120 positioned along the opposite, narrow face, such that sealing members 120 are positioned between the wall structural members 130 and the second wall sheathing element 140. The sealing members 120 form a fluid-resisting seal between the wall structural members 130 and the front-side and rear-side sheathing 110, 140, thereby forming a sealed-stud bay 150 within the wall structure 100. The wall structural members 130, the first wall sheathing element 110, the rear-side sheathing, 140, and the sealing members form the wall sealing system 102.

The wall sealing system 102 may be incorporated into a building design such that the wall sealing system 102 is used as part of a cold air return for an HVAC system 80. HVAC systems 80 provide remotely located rooms with conditioned air. To manage air flow of conditioned air into the rooms and unconditioned air out of the rooms, cold air return lines 82 are typically installed, which return unconditioned air from the room to the HVAC equipment for conditioning. Exchange of conditioned air in a room for unconditioned air may be important to ensure even distribution of air flow throughout the building, as to improve occupant comfort.

As depicted in FIG. 1, the first wall sheathing element 110 of the wall structure 100 may be opened to the room with a vent 160. The wall structures 100 incorporating sealing members 120 may be positioned along the interior of the building structure. The vent 160 places the sealed-stud bay 150 in fluid communication with the room 200. When a plurality of sealed-stud bays 150 are linked, for example, by incorporating sealed-stud bays 150 into wall structures 100 and/or ceilings and floors (not shown), and connecting the sealed-stud bays with additional ducts (not shown) the sealed-stud bays 150 may be placed in fluid communication with the HVAC system 80 such that unconditioned air from the room 200 may be drawn back to the HVAC system 80 for conditioning and redistribution to the building. By drawing unconditioned air through sealed-stud bay, improved extraction of unconditioned air from remotely located rooms may be realized by reducing pressure losses within the HVAC system 80.

In other embodiments, the wall sealing system 102 may be used as part of a conditioned air delivery ducting for an HVAC system 80.

Referring now to FIG. 2, one embodiment of the sealing member 120 is depicted. In this embodiment, the sealing member 120 includes a compliant seal 122 and an adhesive 124 along at least one side of the compliant seal 122. The sealing member 120 may be free from any adhesive along the side opposite the side to which adhesive 124 is applied. The sealing member 120 has a seal length 127, a seal width 128, and a seal thickness 129. The dimensions of the sealing member 120 correspond to a seal length direction 127 a, a seal width direction 128 a, and seal thickness direction 129 a, respectively. As depicted in the remaining figures, the sealing member 120 is coupled to the wall structural members 130 so that the seal length 127 is generally aligned with the structural member length, as will be discussed below.

Referring now to FIG. 3, one embodiment of the wall sealing system 102 is depicted. The wall structure 100 includes the wall structural member 130, surrounded by the first wall sheathing element 110 and the second wall sheathing element 140. The first wall sheathing element 110 and the second wall sheathing element 140 may be selected from commercially available wall construction materials including, for example and without limitation, drywall, cement board, fiber board, plywood, and the like. The wall structural members 130 may be selected from commercially available structural materials including, for example and without limitations, wood, steel, aluminum, and the like. The front-side and rear-side sheathing 110, 140 may be secured to the wall structural members 130 using fasteners 210, for example, screws and nails.

The sealing members 120 are positioned between the wall structural members 130 and the first wall sheathing element 110 and the second wall sheathing element 140, as depicted in FIG. 3. The sealing members 120 are compressed with installation of the sheathing 110, 140, such that the sealing members 120 form a fluid-resisting seal between the wall structural members 130 and the sheathing 110, 140. Fluid passing the sealing members 120 follows a restrictive fluid path 108 between the wall structural member 130 and the respective first or second wall sheathing element 110, 140. The sealing members 120 may be compliant as to adjust in thickness to accommodate variations in the spacing between the wall structural members 130 and the sheathing 110, 140 as compared the thickness in an uninstalled condition, while maintaining the fluid-resisting seal. Further, the sealing members 120 may maintain the fluid-resisting seal between the wall structural members 130 and the wall sheathing elements 110, 140 such that when the sealing member 120 is pierced by the fastener 210, the fluid-resisting seal is maintained.

Comparing FIGS. 3 and 4, the sealing member 120 of FIG. 3 is narrower than the wall structural member 130, while the sealing member 120 of FIG. 4 is wider than the wall structural member 130. Embodiments of the sealing members 120 may be implemented in a variety of widths relative to the wall structural members 130 without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Further, the relative width of the sealing member 120 and the wall structural member 130, along with positioning of the sealing member in the widthwise direction of the wall structural member 130 may be modified to improve inspection of the wall sealing system 102 to ensure that a fluid-resisting seal has been established between the wall structural members 130 and the wall sheathing elements 110, 140.

It should also be noted that the relative thickness of the sealing member 120 as compared to the wall structural members 130 and the sheathing 110, 140 may vary without departing from the scope of the disclosure. In some embodiments, the compressed thickness of the sealing member 120 may be small, as to minimize any variation in dimension of the outward-face of the sheathing 110, 140 that encloses the wall.

Referring now to FIG. 5, the sealing member 120 is shown in detail. The sealing member 120 includes a compliant seal 122 and an adhesive 124 applied to at least one face of the compliant seal 122. For purposes of merchandising and use by end users, a release strip 126, for example, a coated paper release strip, may be applied to the adhesive 124 at a position opposite the compliant seal 122 to maintain the adhesive 124 as the sealing members 120 are distributed throughout the supply chain.

The compliant seal 122 may be made from a variety of materials including, for example and without limitations, natural rubber, synthetic rubber, polymeric materials, elastomeric materials, and the like. In one embodiment, the compliant seal 122 may be made from a compressible foam rubber, such that the compliant seal 122 has an air-filled matrix structure. In some of the embodiments, the compliant seal 122 may be an open-cell or a closed-cell foam. In other embodiments, the compliant seal 122 may be made from ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber. In yet other embodiments, the compliant seal 122 may be made from polyurethane. In yet other embodiments, the compliant seal 122 may be made from polyethylene. In each of the embodiments, the compliant seal 122 is solid in form, such that the compliant seal 122 includes a thickness 123. In some embodiments, the compliant seal 122 may be highly compressible in the thickness 123 direction, such that the thickness 123 may vary between compressed and uncompressed states. In other embodiments, the compliant seal 122 may exhibit low compressibility in the thickness direction 123, such that the thickness 123 does not significantly vary between compressed and uncompressed states.

In general, the adhesive 124 of the sealing member 120 may be selected from a commercially available adhesive. In some embodiments, the adhesive 124 may be a permanent adhesive. In other embodiments, the adhesive 124 may be a temporary adhesive, such that the sealing member 120 may be removably and replaceably attached to the wall structural member 130. The adhesive 124 may be a pressure-sensitive adhesive. The compliant seal 122 should be chemically resistant to the adhesive 124 such that the compliant seal 122 is resistant to chemical attack from the adhesive 124. Further, the adhesive maintains adhesion across a band of temperatures including, for example, from less than about 30° F. to about 200° F.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a portion of a wall construction 104 is depicted. The wall construction 104 includes a stud assembly 134 that includes a plurality of vertically arranged wall structural members 130 that are secured to wall plate members 132 arranged at the vertical top and bottom of the wall structural members 130. As depicted in FIG. 6, the adjacent wall structural members 130 a, 130 b and the wall plate members 132 a, 132 b that define at least one bay 136 of the stud assembly 134 have portions that are covered with the sealing member 120 (first, second, third, and fourth sealing members 120 a, 120 b, 120 c, 120 d along a first side and fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth sealing members 120 e, 120 f, 120 g, 120 h along a second side opposite the first side) as to form the sealed-stud bay 150 with the sheathing, as discussed hereinabove.

Structures used in construction of stud assemblies 134 have a structural member length 137, a structural member width 138, and a structural member thickness 139. Stud assemblies 134 are typically constructed according to industry standards using commercially available materials. As such, the structural member length 137 of the wall structural members 130 are typically selected from commonly available stud lengths (e.g., 8 foot, 10 foot, 12 foot, and the like). Further, construction (framing) of the stud assembly 134 is typically produced with even spacing between adjacent wall structural members 130 (e.g., 12 inches-on-center; 16 inches-on-center; 24 inches-on-center; and the like). As such, the sealing members 120 may be supplied in a variety of sealing member lengths 127 to match structural member length 137 and stud spacing. For example, sealing members 120 may be supplied to end users in groups having appropriate seal lengths 137 that correspond to the structural member lengths 137 and run lengths that correspond to the spacing between adjacent structural members 130. Users installing the sealing members 120 may apply the longer lengths of the sealing members 120 to the vertically arranged wall structural members 130 and the run lengths of the sealing members 120 to the portion of the wall plate members 132 to form the sealed-stud bays 136.

Laboratory testing of the sealing member installed between studs and sheathing has been undertaken to evaluate the relative performance improvement of an HVAC system that incorporates the sealing members as described herein. A wall construction similar to that depicted in FIG. 6 was tested with and without a sealing member installed between sheathing. The wall was constructed with 2 inch by 6 inch dimensional lumber (i.e., 1.5 inch by 5.5 inch actual dimensions) studs and header and footers, where the studs had a length of 8 feet. A vacuum was applied to the sealed cavity to evaluate the effectiveness of the seal across the sealed cavity. The vacuum was applied to the sealed cavity through openings in fluid communication with the sealed cavity formed by the studs, the header, the footer, and the sheathing. Magnitude of the vacuum pulled across the sealed cavity was approximately 3 times greater than the vacuum pulled across the unsealed cavity for the same pump settings, indicating that the seal of the sealed cavity was enhanced as compared to the unsealed cavity. The relative increase in vacuum across the sealed cavity indicates that a greater portion of air introduced to the sealed cavity by a HVAC system will exit the sealed cavity as compared with a wall having an unsealed cavity. As such, walls that incorporate the sealing members are expected to have a greater rate of recovery of unconditioned air from remotely located rooms as compared to walls that do not incorporate sealing members.

In addition, a wall was constructed that incorporated metal ductwork to simulate a sealed cold air return. Seams of the metal ductwork were sealed with mastic, metallic tape, and/or additional sealants as conventionally known to reduce airflow across the seams. The sealed metal ductwork was installed into a stud bay of a partially constructed wall, and drywall was installed onto the studs and around the sealed metal ductwork as to simulate a fully-constructed wall. The same pump settings described hereinabove with regard to the sealed cavity were applied to the wall that incorporated the metal ductwork as the walls described hereinabove. Magnitude of the vacuum pulled across the wall including the sealed metal ductwork was approximately 10% less than the vacuum pulled across the sealed cavity, as discussed hereinabove. While greater sealing of the wall including the sealed metal ductwork as compared to the sealed cavity was expected, it is believed that securement of the drywall to the studs housing the sealed metal ductwork compromised the seals of the sealed metal ductwork. As such, it is expected that walls that incorporate the sealing members as discussed hereinabove are expected to have a greater rate of recovery of unconditioned air from remotely located rooms as compared to walls that incorporate sealed metal ductwork.

Alternatively, the sealing member 120 may be supplied in a variety of forms including a roll having a length of sealing member 120 measuring from about 10 to about 50 feet.

While particular discussion has been made hereinabove in regard to vertically arranged walls, it should be understood that the sealing members 120 according to the present disclosure may be incorporated into any of a variety of orientation and configuration of framed construction building. As such, the sealing members 120 according to the present disclosure may be incorporated into floors, subfloors, ceilings, joists, rafters, and the like.

Referring now to FIG. 7 the sealing members 120 may be applied the wall structural members so that adjacent sealing members (i.e., sealing members 120 a, 120 c) contact one another, thereby forming a restrictive fluid path 108 at locations of intersection of adjacent sealing members 120. Contact between adjacent sealing members 120 may inhibit the flow of fluid out of the stud bay.

Referring now to FIGS. 8 and 9, another embodiment of a building structure 300 incorporating sealing members 120 is depicted. In this embodiment, the building structure 300 includes wall structures 100 similar to those described hereinabove that are attached to a foundation 90. The building structure 300 also includes end joists 92 that are coupled to the foundation 90 and to which a subfloor 94 is coupled. The wall structures 100 may be coupled to the foundation 90 directly, through a sill or sill plate 96, or through attachment of an end joist 92. The wall structures 100 include vertically oriented wall structural members 130 and horizontally oriented wall plate members 132. The building structure 300 also includes a roof section 302 that includes a build-up plate 304, a plurality of horizontally arranged joists 310, and a plurality of rafters 320 that extend from the build-up plate 304 to form the structure of the roof of the building structure 300. Referring to FIG. 9, the construction of the building structure 300 is shown in detail. As depicted, the building structure 300 may include a sealing member 120 positioned between the wall plate member 132 of the wall structure 100 and the build-up plate 304. The building structure 300 may also include sealing members 120 positioned between the joists 310 and the build-up plate 304. Sealing members 120 located in such positioned between adjacent components of the building structure 300 may decrease the overall leakage of air from the building structure 300, and may further improve sealing in the cold air returns of the HVAC system to improve efficiency of conditioning of air in the building structure 300.

It should now be understood that wall sealing assemblies according to the present disclosure may be used to construct sealed-stud bays within walls. The sealed-stud bays allow unconditioned air to be returned from remotely-located rooms to an HVAC system for conditioning. In other embodiments, the sealed-stud bays allow conditioned air to be delivered from the HVAC system to remotely-located rooms. The sealed-stud bays may be constructed with minimal time and expense and may improve HVAC efficiency of the building in which they are installed.

It is noted that the terms “substantially” and “about” may be utilized herein to represent the inherent degree of uncertainty that may be attributed to any quantitative comparison, value, measurement, or other representation. These terms are also utilized herein to represent the degree by which a quantitative representation may vary from a stated reference without resulting in a change in the basic function of the subject matter at issue.

While particular embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it should be understood that various other changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter. Moreover, although various aspects of the claimed subject matter have been described herein, such aspects need not be utilized in combination. It is therefore intended that the appended claims cover all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of the claimed subject matter. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of assembling a wall structure comprising: coupling a first sealing member to a wall structural member along a first side of the wall structural member; coupling a second sealing member to the wall structural member along a second side of the wall structural member opposite the first side, wherein the first sealing member and the second sealing member each comprise a compliant seal having a thickness and an adhesive along at least one side; coupling a first wall sheathing element to the first side of the wall structural member so that the first sealing member contacts the first wall sheathing element; and coupling a second wall sheathing element to the second side of the wall structural member so that the second sealing member contacts the second wall sheathing element, wherein the first sealing member and the second sealing member form a restrictive fluid path between the first wall sheathing element, the wall structural member, and the second wall sheathing element.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: coupling a third sealing member to a second wall structural member along a first side of the second wall structural member, the second wall structural member adjacent to the wall structural member; coupling a fourth sealing member to the second wall structural member along a second side of the second wall structural member opposite the first side, wherein the third sealing member and the fourth sealing member each comprise a compliant seal having a thickness and an adhesive along at least one side; coupling the first wall sheathing element to the first sides of the wall structural member and the second wall structural member; and coupling the second wall sheathing element to the second sides of the wall structural member and the second wall structural member, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth wall sealing members form a sealed stud bay with the first wall sheathing element, the second wall sheathing element, the wall structural member, and the second wall structural member, the sealed stud bay being restrictive to fluid flow past the sealing members.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the sealed stud bay is positioned along an interior of a building structure.
 4. The method of claim 2, further comprising placing the sealed stud bay in fluid communication with a HVAC system.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the sealed stud bay is in fluid communication with a return line of the HVAC system.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first sealing member and the second sealing member comprise a compressible foam rubber.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising compressing the first sealing member and the second sealing member in a thickness direction to form fluid-resisting seals with the wall structural member and the first and second sheathing element.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first sealing member extends beyond a widthwise direction of the wall structural member.
 9. The method of claim 2, further comprising: coupling a fifth sealing member to a first wall plate member coupled to the wall structural member and the second wall structural member, the fifth sealing member positioned along a first side of the first wall plate member; coupling a sixth sealing member to the first wall plate member along a second side of the second wall plate member opposite the first side; coupling a seventh sealing member to a second wall plate member coupled to the wall structural member and the second wall structural member, the seventh sealing member positioned along a first side of the second wall plate member; and coupling an eighth sealing member to the second wall plate member along a second side of the second wall plate member opposite the first side; wherein the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth sealing members each comprise a compliant seal having a thickness and an adhesive along at least one side.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein adjacent sealing members contact one another to form a restrictive fluid path at locations of intersection of adjacent sealing members.
 11. A method of assembling a wall structure comprising: coupling a sealing member to a first wall structural member, the sealing member comprising a compliant seal having a seal thickness, a seal width, and a seal length that is greater than the seal thickness and the seal width, and an adhesive along at least one side; coupling a second wall structural member to the first wall structural member, the second wall structural member comprising a structural member thickness, a structural member width, and a structural member length that is greater than the structural member thickness, wherein: the sealing member is positioned with the seal length generally aligned with the structural member length; and the sealing member forms a restrictive fluid path between the first wall structural member and the second wall structural member.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first wall structural member is one of a foundation, a sill plate, or an end joist.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the second wall structural member is one of a sill, a subfloor, or a build-up plate of a roof.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first wall structural member and the second wall structural member are positioned proximate to an exterior wall of a building structure.
 15. The method of claim 11, wherein the sealing member comprises a compressible foam rubber.
 16. The method of claim 11, further comprising compressing the sealing member in the seal thickness direction to form a fluid-resisting seal with the first wall structural member and the second wall structural member.
 17. A wall structure comprising: a wall structural member having a structural member thickness, a structural member width, and a structural member length that is greater than the structural member thickness and the structural member width; a sealing member coupled to the wall structural member, the sealing member comprising a compliant seal having a seal width, a seal thickness, and a seal length, the seal length greater than the seal width and the seal thickness, and an adhesive applied to one side of the compliant seal and, the compliant seal being free from adhesive along a side opposite the side to which adhesive is applied; and a first wall sheathing element coupled to the wall structural member, wherein: the sealing member is positioned with the seal length generally aligned with the structural member length; and the sealing member forms a restrictive fluid path between the wall structural member and the first wall sheathing element.
 18. The wall structure of claim 17, wherein the adhesive is a pressure-sensitive adhesive.
 19. The wall structure of claim 17, wherein the sealing member comprises a compressible foam rubber, and the sealing member is compressed in the seal thickness when installed in the wall structure as compared to an uninstalled condition.
 20. The wall structure of claim 17, wherein the sealing member is positioned proximate to an exterior wall of a building structure. 